Heatwave fury: Nagpur records 11 suspected heatstroke deaths within 24 hours

Nagpur: As Vidarbha continues to burn under an unforgiving heatwave, Nagpur’s hospital mortuaries are witnessing a disturbing rise in unidentified deaths, with authorities struggling to cope as bodies keep arriving from railway stations, roadsides and crowded public areas. In the last three days alone, 14 unidentified bodies were recovered across the city, including 11 on Wednesday when the mercury again crossed the 45-degree Celsius mark for the seventh consecutive day.

The grim situation has triggered fears that the prolonged spell of extreme heat may be silently claiming lives, particularly among homeless persons, elderly citizens, travellers and labourers exposed to harsh afternoon conditions.

According to police and hospital sources, five bodies were recovered from Nagpur railway station premises and from inside sleeper and unreserved train coaches over the last 24 hours. Railway authorities maintained that some passengers may have died due to illness, exhaustion, suffocation and severe heat exposure during travel, but officials admitted that soaring temperatures have worsened conditions inside overcrowded compartments.

Apart from the railway deaths, police recovered five more unidentified bodies from different parts of the city on Wednesday. A 65-year-old man was found lying near a flyover in Lakadganj police station limits, while another body of a man aged around 50 years was recovered from the APMC fruit market area in Kalamna.

In another alarming incident, an unidentified man aged around 50 was found unconscious near a flyover in Nandanvan under Sakkardara police limits. Two more bodies, believed to be of men aged between 55 and 60 years, were later recovered from Tajbagh area near a Sufi shrine and a nearby complex during the scorching afternoon hours.

The death toll linked to suspected heat-related complications further rose after a 75-year-old patient undergoing treatment at Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s special cold ward succumbed on Wednesday. The ward has been specifically set up for patients suffering from hyperpyrexia and heatstroke symptoms. With this, suspected heatstroke deaths touched 11 within 24 hours, though officials said the exact causes would only be confirmed after post-mortem examinations and pathological investigations.

Police officials stated that in most cases, the victims were found during peak daytime hours when the city was reeling under extreme heat conditions. Several bodies remain unidentified, and inquest proceedings have been initiated while efforts are underway to trace relatives and establish identities.

The alarming deaths come as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘Red Alert’ for Nagpur on Thursday, warning of severe to very severe heatwave conditions across the region. According to the IMD, districts including Nagpur, Wardha, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Washim are likely to continue experiencing intense heatwave conditions along with isolated thunderstorms, lightning activity and gusty winds reaching 40 to 50 kmph.

An ‘Orange Alert’ has also been issued for Bhandara, Amravati, Akola and Yavatmal districts.

Weather experts, however, indicated that a possible shift in wind patterns from May 29 onwards may bring slight relief to Vidarbha, with maximum temperatures expected to dip by two to three degrees Celsius. Despite the marginal fall, temperatures are likely to remain above 40 degrees Celsius across the region. Pre-monsoon activity is also expected to increase gradually, which may offer temporary evening relief to residents battling one of the harshest summer spells in recent years.

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